Uber Removes Leather Interior Requirement

The transportation company no longer requires its UberBLACK vehicles to have leather seats.

After pressure from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), transportation company Uber recently removed the leather requirement in its UberBLACK vehicles from five cities (Chicago, Phoenix, Denver, Detroit, and Indianapolis) where previously it was mandatory. All of the company websites in those cities have since been updated without the leather requirement, and in Chicago vegan leather is preferred. PETA asserted that “socially conscious millennials are opposed to killing and skinning cows for environmentally unfriendly leather car interiors.” Not only is leather cruel to the millions of cows who are killed to make it, but numerous automakers now also offer high-quality vegan leather interiors. “High-end vegan leather is eco-friendly, cruelty-free, and right on trend with Uber’s demographic of socially progressive riders,” PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman said. “PETA’s supporters can now look forward to rides on luxurious seats that never harmed a hair on a cow’s head.”

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